The invention relates to a latching mechanism for a door handle for motor vehicles.
A door handle of the generic type for activating a closing device of a vehicle door is disclosed in German patent document DE-2,658,159,B2, in which the return of an actuating lever to its initial position after an actuation, takes place automatically by means of spring forces and is limited by a fixed stop. In order to reduce the generation of noise which occurs when the actuating lever returned by spring force strikes against the stops, an elastic intermediate layer forms a damping support for the limit stops.
Such passive elastic damping supports for a low-noise return of an actuating lever are in widespread use. The damping travel provided is very short, and exact positioning is made difficult by the tolerances and by phenomenon of material fatigue. Moreover, such materials, because of their elastic properties, do not allow a uniform soft return of the actuating lever into its initial position. The impact noise is therefore reduced only incompletely and unreliably.
The object o the present invention therefore is to provide a door handle of the above type which achieves a substantial and reliable reduction of impact noise.
This and other objects are achieved in a door handle according to the invention, wherein the actuating lever is coupled to a damping element during its return movement until it reaches its initial position in such a way that the damping element exerts on the actuating lever a force which is directed counter to the spring force and which, until a specific low speed of the actuating lever is reached, is greater than the spring force.
This speed-dependent deceleration of the actuating lever makes it possible to return the latter to its end position with minimal noise. At the same time, in contrast to the use of elastic materials as limit stops, all the more kinetic energy of the actuating lever is transferred to the damping element, the greater this energy is. The actuating lever is returned to its end position uniformly and softly. The limit stop is reached at a very low speed, and the greatest possible reduction of the impact noise is achieved thereby.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.